Playing with the Leaf
by xXRainDaze.NiilaXx
Summary: WillowClan Monthly Challenge. Leafstorm is a new warrior, dedicated to serving her Clan. Even if it means she doesn't get to have fun and relax. That's what all warriors should be, isn't it? Redleap thinks differently, and set out to show Leafstorm that 'Life is more fun if you play games'. One-Shot.


**Hi guys! This is my first WillowClan Monthly Writing Chalenge, and I had heaps of fun writing it, so I hope you have fun reading it! The quote the piece had to be based on was _"Life is more fun if you play games." _**

**Disclaimer - I don't own Warriors, otherwise we would have seen more BlueXOak.**

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Leafstorm yawned, stretching her forepaws out in front of her. Dim sunlight seeped through the walls of the warriors den, and she shook her pelt clean. Padding out of the den. Leafstorm could see the clearing empty. The dawn patrol had already left. Cursing herself under her breath for not waking up in time to catch them, Leafstorm looked around camp to find something to do. Her gaze stopped on the almost empty fresh-kill pile.

Proud to had found something to do, Leafstorm strode out of camp, her nose lifted high to catch the scent of any passing by prey. Now was the time of day that the mice and birds came out, finding their food before the rest of the forest woke up.

Scenting out a blackbird, Leafstorm settled in the hunters crouch, remembering to hold her tail steady, a point that she often forgot as an apprentice and had lost many kills to. Leaping forward, she pinned the bird down, finishing it off with a quick blow to its neck. Leafstorm buried the prey at the roots of a willow tree.

Scenting the air once more, Leafstorm soon found two mice and two more birds, quickly catching the mice and one of the birds. Scraping the dirt off the top of her prey, she gripped her catches in her mouth and made her way back to ThunderClan camp.

As she entered the camp, she could see the Clan stirring. Two of the apprentices, Stripepaw and Tigerpaw, were wrestling around the entrance of the apprentice den, and she could see Whiteclaw organizing patrols underneath the high ledge. Quickly dropping her prey on the fresh-kill pile, which filled it up quite well, Leafstorm made her way over to the gathering knot of warriors.

"Amberdapple, I want you to take Greenflight, Dapplenose and Stripepaw on a border patrol at sun-high..." Whiteclaw droned on, until most of the other warriors had left, to find their patrol, take out there apprentices, or rest. Soon, all the cats had been assigned a patrol for the day. Except Leafstorm.

"Hey, Whiteclaw," she questioned, after the other warriors had left, "Which patrol am I on?"

Whiteclaw turned to stare at her, "None."

The toms simple answer jolted Leafstorm like blow, "Wha-what do you mean?" She asked, and suddenly began to worry, _did I do something wrong?_

"You aren't on a patrol today, because you need to rest. You were on five yesterday. You need rest, spend sometime just relaxing and having fun."

Leafstorm shook her head, a warrior doesn't 'have fun'! That's for kits! We have duties to fulfill. "Welll, can't I go on at least one?" She pleaded.

Whiteclaw rolled his eyes a little, and he called out to a tom on the other side if the clearing. "Hey, Acornfur! Leafstorm's joining your moon-high patrol."

Giving Leafstorm a 'there, are you happy?' look, Whiteclaw strode off.

Leafstorm felt like she was in a daze. She would have to wait until night before she could do anything! Padding over to the fresh-kill pile, she picked up one of her birds, a nice, fat pigeon, and carried it over to the side of the clearing. Laying down, she placed the bird between her front paws, and began pulling its feathers out. Grip, pull, drop, grip, pull, drop. The simple pattern soothed Leafstorm, until she was calm.

A ginger tom laid down beside her. Leafstorm twisted her head, trying to see who it was. Redleap. Redleap was a playful red tom, who had been made a warrior only a couple of moons before her. "Hey, Redleap," she meowed.

"Hi!" The toms cheerful reply only seemed to darken her mood. How could someone be so happy if they weren't serving their Clan? "Normally I don't see you relaxing or anything, what's the matter? You're often on any patrol that does or doesn't need another member."

Leafstorm sighed, "The only patrol I'm on today is the moon-high patrol. Whiteclaw reckons I should rest and have fun."

Redleap purred, and Leafstrom turned to fix him a death stare. "Uh hum," he meowed, clearly awkward, "If you're free today, why don't you join me and Greenflight, Applepad and Hollysplash." He lowered his voice, "We're going to explore outside of ThunderClan territory."

Leafstrom stared at him, horrified. "How could you suggest such a thing?" She whispered back, fiercely, "Sneaking out of duties, to do something as trivial as that? Anyway, Greenflight's on sunhigh patrol."

He shrugged his shoulders, "So? We aren't going far, he'll have to leave then come back."

Leafstorm still scowled at him. "Leafstorm," Redleap began, "Whiteclaw's right. You need to have some fun sometime. Life's more fun if you play games."

Leafstorm sighed. He had a point. It felt like ever since she had become a warrior, she had been just patrolling, hunting, or helping the Clan in some other way.

"You know it's right," pleaded Redleap, "Just come. It'll be fun. Please."

Leafstorm stared down at her half eaten pigeon, and back to the red tom. "Okay. But, I'm going to finish eating first."

Redleap purred, "That's the spirit! You stay here, and I'll go get Greenflight, Applepad and Hollysplash."

Leafstorm turned towards her bird, taking a huge bite out of it. _What am I thinking? Just because I'm not on patrol, doesn't mean I should be doing something like this!_ 'It'll be fun' the toms words echoed in her mind. 'It'll be fun'.

**. . .**

Leafstorm admittedly doubted those words the second they ran into a large, snarling dog. They were past the border, and Leafstorm had to admit, it had been fun to talk to Redleap and the others. Then, Greenflight had to leave. As he left, the air was suddenly tainted by a scent a bit like fox, yet dirtier. "Fight him! It's four against one!" Applepad, the unelected leader of the group, called out, and the other warriors launched themselves at the dog, snarling, hissing and spitting so furiously, they could have beaten a pack of angry dogs. Leafstrom too joined in the scuffle. As she clawed the dogs fur, she could feel the beast weakening, and soon the animal began to give out short, weak whimpers. "Let him go, yet stay in guard!" Came Applepad's next command, and once more, the warriors followed.

The dog gave one last growl, before turning tail and running.

Leafstorm stood on the spot, breathing heavily. _That was so scary!_

"Wasn't that fun?!" Hollysplash exclaimed, excited. Leafstorm, Redleap and Applepad turned towards the black and white she-cat.

"Are you crazy?" Leafstorm replied, shouting, "That dog could have killed us!"

"Leafstorm, calm down," Redleap soothed. The calico she-cat continued her ranting, until Redleap lay his tail protectively over her back. "Leafstorm. Relax."

She turned around, staring into the toms pale green eyes. "That was so scary..." She whimpered, and Redleap touched his nose to her ear.

"It's okay, we wouldn't let it hurt you. Anyway, don't try to tell me that, before the dog, it wasn't fun?"

Leafstrom thought for a moment. "It was fun..." She admitted, and Redleap replied with a purr.

"Told ya," he chuckled, before glancing nervously over to the other cats. Applepad and Hollysplash were staring at them in an amused, knowing way. Quickly, Leafstorm stepped over to the side.

"So... Are we continuing?" Leafstorm meowed, fluffing out her fur in embarrassment.

Redleap twitched his whiskers in amusement. "That's the spirit!"

Applepad looked among the cats. They were relatively unharmed, though Hollysplash had a nasty scratch on her shoulder. "Yeah, we'll keep going."

Leafstorm felt her stomach churn, and she pushed it down. She wouldn't back out. Hollysplash and Redleap took off after the brown tabby tom, and Leafstorm had to run to catch up with them. Around them was a pine forest, and she could feel the needles under her pads. Redleap fell in step beside her. "This is fun, hey?" He asked, and she could hear a hint of nervousness in his mew.

Leafstorm nodded, "It's awesome!"

Redleap immediately began to relax. "if you like this, well... Applepad, Greenflight, Hollysplash and I always try to make a point of doing something fun at least once a moon. You can join, if you want."

Leafstorm thought for a moment. She loved the sense of fulfillment when she helped her Clan, but this was a great way to enjoy herself and have fun.

"Sorry, I was a fool to think you'd ever say yes. I'm sorry."

"No - it's not that," Leafstorm replied, "I'd love to. Thank-you."

Redleap turned to stare at her in amazement. "Really? You'd - you'd do it?" He asked, anxiously.

"Yeah. It's fun."

Redleap purred, and Leafstorm could see his entire body shaking. "You're in!"

**. . .**

Leafstorm strolled over to the Clan entrance. It was moon-high, time for her patrol. She joined the small group if warriors, looking around to see who was in it. Acornfur was leading it, and his apprentice, Tigerpaw, was there as well. Her mother, Spottedtail, was also there.

As they went around the WindClan border, Leafstorm fell in step with Spottedtail. "Hello, Leafstorm," her mother purred, "Where were you today? I didn't see you on any patrols or hunting."

Leafstorm met her mother's curious gaze. "Redleap told me that 'Life was more fun if you play games', and convinced me to go out with him, Greenflight, Applepad and Hollysplash. We were checking out the forest beyond the border. It was fun, and I've joined their little club, which makes a point of doing something really fun at least once a moon."

Spottedtail purred, and twitched her whiskers in amusement, "That's great, you've always seemed like you must work. It's time you had a little fun. Even if it was sneaking out with a bunch if toms... "

Leafstorm blushed, and flicked her tail against her mothers ear, "Hollysplash was there. Anyway," she glanced away, embarrassed, "I think I might like Redleap," seeing her mothers amused face, she quickly explained, "He has lots of fun, and is really easy to hang out with, and-"

"That's fine. It's about time, anyway."

Leafstorm cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

"Haven't you seen the way he stares at you?" Her mother replied, purring.

Leafstorm ducked her head, embarrassed. "What do you mean?"

"He likes you, Leafstorm. I think it's great you have decided to go and join him. He lives a great life, Redleap does. He helps the Clan, and helps himself, by playing and resting and having fun."

Seeing her daughters silence, Spottedtail said "You should tell him you like him. I can just see you two together!"

Leafstorm nodded, "Sure... Later."

**. . . **

"Hey, Redleap!" Leafstorm called after the ginger tom. It had been almost a moon since Redleap had first convinced her to get out and have some fun, and now she was in her third 'Fun Adventure'. They had to catch as many leaves as possible, and compare piles in the training hollow.

He turned around, "Yeah?" He asked, talking around the couple of maple leaves he already had in his jaw.

"I'd just like to thank you for, well... Everything, I guess. For showing me how to have fun. Before that, it was just patrol, patrol, hunting, repairing a den, patrol, hunting..." She stopped when she saw the tom staring at her in an amused way, and shuffled her paws, _why is it so awkward?_

Redleap purred, and flicked his tail over her ear. "That's why I told you, silly."

Leafstorm buried her head in his soft fur. "Redleap, I... I love you."

The tom stiffened for a moment, before purring so loudly he was almost shaking the whole forest. "I love you too, Leafstorm."

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**So, how did you like it? ****Pleas tell me in a REVEIW!**

**-Rain**


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